"Fishing Expeditions"-Prospecting for Jobs
You can write two kinds of "fishing" letters. In the prospecting letter, you write to people you already know-friends, acquaintances, former colleagues or members of your industry-asking for suggestions which might help in your job search. Often they'll refer you to people they know or possibly even tell you about others in their industry who are hiring. These letters should be short, friendly, direct and to the point. You don't beg for help or in any way "put the arm on them." Prospecting letters are a part of your networking efforts.
Follow up the prospecting letter with a phone call at the time and on the date you mentioned in your letter.
The second kind of prospecting letter is the referral. You write these to take advantage of leads you get from personal contacts (such as the one you asked for above), or from other correspondence. Exhibit 9.2 is a good example of a referral letter. In the first paragraph, you mention the person who suggested the contact and why, along with a brief description of what you hope to gain. You're not asking for a job, but for assistance or suggestions of ways you might go ahead with your job campaign. Ask if they have time to see you or to talk to you on the telephone. These letters are still a part of the first two marketing activities, Surveying the Market in General, and Segmenting the Market. If you're lucky in your contacts, they may lead you directly into the third and fourth part of your campaign, but not necessarily.
Follow up by making the phone call at the time you said you would.
Selling letter. Many ads don't give much information about the job in the advertisement. They may list only the job title and a little bit about the company. (This might be a High D ad.) They may spend the entire ad selling you on the company. (These are High I ads.) Or, all you get in the ad is the job title. (Ads placed by executive recruiters are often like this. See the section on writing letters to headhunters and employment agencies.) Write a letter which presents yourself in the best light, giving a few of your major accomplishments, a brief description of your strengths, along with a couple of reasons why the company should consider you. Exhibit 9.7 shows a letter resume in chart format. You can include an accomplishment resume with your letter or you can omit it. In either event, mention that you'll bring a detailed resume with you when you have your interview (which you request strongly).
Sometimes, the ads are vague and include only some "insinuations," or include phrases or suggested requirements that are ridiculous. One ad for an accountant, for instance, asked that the applicant be a CPA and have a sense of humor!
If you're interested-and many of these ads are titillating-go ahead. The author of the letter in Exhibit 9.9 responded to one such vague ad. He felt the ad called for a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, so responded in kind.
Cover Letter for a resume. Many ads ask that you send a detailed resume. When the ad asks for a resume, send your Chronological Resume or a combination Chronological/Achievement Resume, if the ad seemed to be a High S or High C communication. If the ad was terse and to the point (High D), or a "selling" ad (High I), send an Achievement resume and write a cover letter addressing any points mentioned in the ad that aren't in the resume. And, of course, ask for an interview.
Ads now frequently ask for a salary history. Some ads even say that no one will be considered for an interview if that information isn't included. Most employment experts say that you can omit this information; but cover yourself by saying that you'll bring your salary history to an interview, or that your past salaries were competitive with those generally paid in the industry. You may even combine the two by saying: "My past salaries were competitive with those generally paid in the industry. I'll bring a complete salary history to an interview."
Put together as good a cover letter as you can, as fast as you can. Be very direct and straightforward-and watch the "weasel" words-the words you might use to denigrate yourself. Do not be self-effacing, and include no negatives. The cover letter has to be positive and upbeat.
Letters of Application. The Letter of Application and the Cover Letter or the Letter Resume in response to an ad are very similar in appearance. If you are writing a letter to cover your resume as your first correspondence with a potential employer, use a letter of application instead of a letter of transmittal (see the next item) because of its sales possibilities. In a letter of application, you write a detailed letter which signals that you are genuinely interested in working for the company. You explain how your qualifications meet their company's employment needs. This shows them that their company is not just one of many organizations on your potential employment scorecard. Finally, a well-written application letter enables a prospective employer to begin judging how well you might mesh with the company's work force. The letter gives you an opportunity to allow your personality to come through, which the resume, in its third-person style, does not.
Letter to headhunters and employment agencies. Most of these advertisements list only the job title or give little information about a position. Read the ad for whatever information you can get, then write the agency exactly as you would a potential employer. However, always include your Chronological or combination Chronological/Achievement Resume. Don't send an Achievement Resume. Your response is guaranteed to hit the wastebasket or be ignored. It doesn't have the detail these people want and need to even consider you. Employment agencies and headhunters, because they are providing a service, are almost by definition High S.
